EDH Optimizer
Totentanz, Swarm Piper
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock Bard · 1BR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
Totentanz, Swarm Piper is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever Totentanz or another nontoken creature you control dies, create a 1/1 black Rat creature token with "This token can't block."
{1}{B}: Target attacking Rat you control gains deathtouch until end of turn.
Reference price of the card: €0.06
Average lands in decks for Totentanz, Swarm Piper: 35
AristocratsRatsTokensRat ColonySacrificeAggroRelentless RatsReanimator
Build your Totentanz, Swarm Piper deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Totentanz, Swarm Piper 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Totentanz, Swarm Piper deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: D (47/100)
- Consistency30
- Speed63
- Interaction22
- Resilience65
- Closing50
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (19 nonbasic, 11 Swamp, 5 Mountain)
Ogre Slumlord · Piper of the Swarm · Song of Totentanz · Lord Skitter, Sewer King · Sol Ring · Lord Skitter's Butcher · Arcane Signet · Impact Tremors · Voracious Vermin · Gnawing Crescendo · Tangled Colony · Twisted Sewer-Witch · Karumonix, the Rat King · Pack Rat · Marrow-Gnawer · Village Rites · Redcap Gutter-Dweller · Skullclamp · Chittering Witch · Mirkwood Bats · Ogre Chitterlord · Shared Animosity · Deadly Dispute · Rakdos Signet · Tattered Ratter · Harried Spearguard · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Corrupted Conviction · Terminate · Raid Bombardment · Rat Out · Goblin Bombardment · Mad Ratter · Persistent Marshstalker · Rat King, Pale Piper · Ratcatcher Trainee // Pest Problem · Blasphemous Act · Feed the Swarm · Zulaport Cutthroat · Revenge of the Rats · Vampiric Rites · Victimize · Garna, Bloodfist of Keld · Typhoid Rats · Blood Artist · Rat Colony · Wave of Rats · Bedevil · Lich-Knights' Conquest · Burglar Rat · Ashnod's Altar · Rat King, Verminister · Chaos Warp · Crypt Rats · Bastion of Remembrance · Ratcatcher · Talisman of Indulgence · Mahadi, Emporium Master · Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm · Bontu's Monument · Old Flitterfang · Pitiless Plunderer · Valley Rotcaller · Viscera Seer · Command Tower · Smoldering Marsh · Dragonskull Summit · Foreboding Ruins · Bojuka Bog · Swarmyard · Tainted Peak · Rakdos Carnarium · Temple of Malice · Mudflat Village · Blood Crypt · Bloodfell Caves · Evolving Wilds · Haunted Ridge · Shadowblood Ridge · Sulfurous Springs · Luxury Suite · Witch's Cottage · Myriad Landscape
🃏 Recommended cards for Totentanz, Swarm Piper
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Totentanz, Swarm Piper, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Piper of the Swarm | 80% | +80% |
| Ogre Slumlord | 80% | +79% |
| Lord Skitter, Sewer King | 78% | +77% |
| Song of Totentanz | 80% | +77% |
| Lord Skitter's Butcher | 74% | +73% |
| Voracious Vermin | 70% | +69% |
| Gnawing Crescendo | 69% | +69% |
| Tangled Colony | 68% | +67% |
| Twisted Sewer-Witch | 66% | +65% |
| Karumonix, the Rat King | 65% | +64% |
| Pack Rat | 63% | +63% |
| Impact Tremors | 72% | +61% |
| Marrow-Gnawer | 61% | +60% |
| Redcap Gutter-Dweller | 56% | +55% |
| Ogre Chitterlord | 53% | +53% |
| Chittering Witch | 53% | +53% |
| Tattered Ratter | 48% | +47% |
| Shared Animosity | 50% | +47% |
| Harried Spearguard | 47% | +46% |
| Village Rites | 61% | +46% |
| Ayara, First of Locthwain | 46% | +45% |
| Rat Out | 45% | +45% |
| Mad Ratter | 44% | +44% |
| Raid Bombardment | 45% | +44% |
💰 The best cards for your Totentanz, Swarm Piper deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Piper of the Swarm
- Ogre Slumlord
- Lord Skitter's Butcher
- Voracious Vermin
- Gnawing Crescendo
- Tangled Colony
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Lord Skitter, Sewer King
- Song of Totentanz
- Impact Tremors
- Shared Animosity
- Ayara, First of Locthwain
- Skullclamp
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Marrow-Gnawer
- Species Specialist
- Grave Pact
- Three Tree City
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Totentanz, Swarm Piper
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Viscera Seer + Drivnod, Carnage Dominus → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite scry 1
- Ayara, First of Locthwain + Plague of Vermin → Near-infinite creature tokens for all players, Near-infinite creature ETB, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite lifeloss
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Totentanz, Swarm Piper's color identity?
Totentanz, Swarm Piper is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Totentanz, Swarm Piper come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Totentanz, Swarm Piper deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.2 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 99 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 34 % of the time and floods 20 %. Deck health: D (47/100).
How many lands should a Totentanz, Swarm Piper deck run?
Real Totentanz, Swarm Piper decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Totentanz, Swarm Piper?
The three highest-synergy cards are Piper of the Swarm, Ogre Slumlord, Lord Skitter, Sewer King. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Totentanz, Swarm Piper decks.
What combos does Totentanz, Swarm Piper have?
Totentanz, Swarm Piper has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Totentanz, Swarm Piper deck cost?
You can start cheap: Piper of the Swarm, Ogre Slumlord, Lord Skitter's Butcher are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.